


communication is key

by ohthelinsanity



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-27
Updated: 2014-10-27
Packaged: 2018-02-22 21:33:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,035
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2522546
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ohthelinsanity/pseuds/ohthelinsanity
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Armin can't believe this. He really can't believe this. He was valedictorian of their graduating class. He got accepted into Ivy schools. But he had no freaking idea that Eren knew Japanese [modern au]</p>
            </blockquote>





	communication is key

As valedictorian of their high school class, Armin Arlert was used to doing well in class. After all, the “A’s” in his name weren’t there for nothing. In college, he expected similar results: his study habits hadn’t changed, and he hadn’t really gotten any _stupider_ so he figured with the same strong work ethic, college wouldn’t be a big deal.

But he just _had_ to sign up for Japanese.

“Almost,” Eren finally said, and Armin let out a long breath he didn’t know he was holding. “There’s only one error in the entire paragraph. Nice job, Arm.”

That was the other thing: as someone who constantly copied his physics homework and slept during his history lessons in high school, Eren Jaeger was as about as average a student as could get. He didn’t ever do poorly, but he definitely didn’t do as well as Armin. Sure, it might be a little rude to outright say that Armin was smarter than Eren but that was the truth. Armin was smarter than Eren. Armin was smarter than Eren in a lot of ways. He thought that trend would continue when they signed up for Japanese together.

But Eren was most definitely smarter than him when it came to Japanese. And it was goddamn baffling.

“I don’t understand,” Armin whined, letting his head fall forward to hit the library desk with a thud.

Eren’s chuckle was airy as he tapped Armin’s head with his pencil. “Well, that’s why I’m tutoring you.”

He sat up abruptly, shooting his friend a dirty look. “No, not _that_ ,” Armin almost sneered. “Why are you so good at Japanese?”

Eren gave that stupid puppy-dog look, complete with the little tilt of his head. “Hmm?” he blinked, “What do you mean?”

“Eren,” Armin threw him an exasperated look. “You got a _C_ in French when we were in high school! But for some reason you’re getting A’s in Japanese?” He pulled at his blond hair, tugging strands out of the ponytail.

Finally, Eren scowled. “Okay, French was hard, and Levi was out to get me! He did _not_ grade quizzes fairly!”

Armin rolled his eyes. “Japanese is way harder to learn than French, it’s a fact. So what I want to know is how you’re already able to speak fluently? What’s your secret? Are you using a program I don’t know about?” he pulled out his diary, ready to write down any notes he might need. “Is there a book? What is it Eren?”

For a moment, Eren didn’t say anything—he just stared at him, blinking profusely, his face an utter display of complete and total confusion. “Armin,” he finally said, “I already know Japanese.”

Wait.

What?

“No,” Armin argued, “Mikasa knows Japanese.” That’s why they signed up for Japanese. So they could speak to Mikasa in her native tongue; she hadn’t had anyone to speak it with since her parents died and she moved in with the Jaegers.

“Yes,” Eren agreed, “She does.  Who do you think taught me?”

Armin slapped his hands on the table: hard. The other students in the library studying threw them dirty glares. “What? No!” Armin hissed through gritted teeth. “When?”

Eren tapped his chin, eyes drifting to the ceiling in thought. “Well,” he hummed, “My sister moved in when I was like, 9? I started learning right away. I think I finally got the hang of it when I was 12 though.”

This was _unbelievable._

“Let me get this straight.” Armin took a slow breath. “You’ve been speaking Japanese for _9 years_ and I’m just now hearing about it?”

Eren nodded. “I guess so.”

He wasn’t buying it. “I’ve been around you two for all of those 9 years. We’ve hung out so much that people have repeatedly questioned whether or not the three of us were a weird item. But not once, _not once,_ have I _ever_ heard you and Mikasa speak Japanese.”

“Well, _yeah,”_ Eren said, giving him a look like he was crazy. “Why would we speak Japanese around you if you didn’t know it?”

“Why _wouldn’t_ you!” Armin practically squawked. “It’s like a secret code! You could say anything and no one around you would know!”

“Exactly!” Eren shouted, his voice loud enough to earn a few shushing. He brought it down a few notches. “We didn’t want to exclude you.”

“Why does that matter?”

Eren pouted. “’Cause it’s _mean_ ,” he mumbled pitifully. “Why would we want to leave you out?”

Armin calmed significantly at the confession; even at 18 years old, Eren still had the heart of an innocent five year old. “Well, that’s very sweet,” Armin finally whispered, and his tutor perked up, his puppy-like energy back. “But I just find it very strange that I just…never found out myself.”

“We only use it around the house,” Eren admitted, “To talk about stuff we didn’t want Mom and Dad to find out about. Birthday Plans, Christmas Presents, Mikasa’s pregnancy scare, that time I broke that _really_ expensive vase, you know, the one that’s on my mom’s piano—“

“…Mikasa had a pregnancy scare?”

Eren’s face went bright red as his features scrunched up in regret. “Oops. Don’t tell her I told you,” he whispered. “But _man_ was it a disaster. I tried to get her to tell me who it was, but I never did get it out of her. I guess since nothing happened, it doesn’t really matter, but I still had my bets that it was Jean.” Their old high school classmate’s name rolled off Eren’s tongue in a growl.

“I’m not so sure. Maybe it was Marco?” Armin suggested.

“No,” Eren sighed, “This was senior year, so Marco had already moved.” He tapped his pencil on the table and mumbled something in Japanese that (surprise surprise) Armin didn’t understand. Eventually he just shrugged, looking back at the textbook. “Ah, what’s it matter. Whatever happened at homecoming is her business.”

Armin blanched. He knew _exactly_ what happened with Mikasa at homecoming. “La peur de la grossesse était de ma faute,” he mumbled.

Armin was never more thankful for Eren’s straight C’s in French. “…was that French? What’d you say?”

“Ah, nothing important,” he chirped, “Next activity, shall we?"

 

**Author's Note:**

> ;) all aboard the ss rarepair 
> 
> ((I took Spanish, I used google translate for that French phrase, I hope to all things holy that is right.))


End file.
